College Visions

COVID-19: How the Pandemic Impacts Low-income College Students

Abrupt campus closures have brought national attention to the plight of low-income college students. For many CV students, financial aid provides not only tuition support but also food and housing. CV is working to provide for the emotional, academic, and basic needs of RI youth. This spring and in the coming years, young people and their families may need extra help to stay focused on college and the longterm benefits that I degree can bring to individuals, families, and communities. CV is committed to providing that help!

For more information on the state of low-income college students, please check out the articles below:

College Made Them Feel Equal. The Virus Exposed How Unequal Their Lives Are.

The Coronavirus Class Divide: Space and Privacy

No Emergency Aid for DACA Students

The Real Lesson of the College Closures

Pandemic Has Forced Graduating Seniors to Reconsider College Choices

College Visions: COVID-19 Response

Last Wednesday as colleges and universities across the country began closing, CV ramped up our COVID-19 response. This is an unprecedented situation and we have prioritized reaching out to our students to find out what they need from us in terms of financial assistance, planning help, and emotional support. These are the ways we are working now:

  • The CV office closed last Thursday. All staff are working from home and we are available by phone, email, and videoconference.
  • We are moving from in-person student meetings to virtual student meetings.
  • We are keeping our regular schedules of student check-ins, though virtually instead of in-person, in order to provide the structure we can all use right now.
  • We are assessing needs through individual outreach and by sending a survey in order to know who needs travel, lodging, food, tech, quiet study space, etc.
  • We are working to increase our Emergency Fund for students to meet the demand for food, housing, and technology (to access online instruction).
  • We are developing a plan to lend out CV equipment to students with tech needs.
  • We are sharing community and corporate resources with students. If you know of local and national resources for high school and college students, please share them with us!

CV’s main job right now is to listen to our students. We empathize with our students who are missing college visits, sports tournaments, performances, and internships and also navigating chaotic and scary situations. For students who have worked so hard to access education, the current loss of instructional time is distressing. We are offering information, resources, and techniques for managing fear and stress.

We are deeply concerned about the poor and working-class communities of color in which our work is rooted. The families we work with, and for some of us the families in which we live, were struggling before the pandemic. We know that lost jobs, lost wages, illness, and disrupted education hurt families and communities. We hope that in the coming weeks and months, you will join us in advocating for policies that help those most imperiled by this crisis.

Together we are strong and resilient. This is a time to hold each other up and we will do that. Many of you have given generous gifts to help CV students displaced from campus. Thank you so much for that support. The CV staff is so thankful that, with your help, we can meet the needs of our students. Every kind thing you do right now strengthens our shared community. Thank you for helping friends, relatives, neighbors, and strangers.

Tina Meetran, Acting Co-Director
tina@collegevisions.org

Moira Hinderer, Acting Co-Director
moira@collegevisions.org

PS: To read more about our efforts to raise funds to support CV students, please click this link: https://mailchi.mp/2c1f123f2f7e/please-help-low-income-college-students-displaced-by-covid-19

After-School Options for High School Students

You know that extracurricular activities boost college applications, build skills, and support social/emotional growth, but many students aren’t familiar with the rich landscape of out-of-school time activities. We’ve created a brochure about youth programming in urban Rhode Island!

Click here for a PDF version.

Copies for students and their families are available for pick-up at the CV office. Schools and Organizations interested in providing the brochure to youth you serve, please contact Joshua at joshua@collegevisions.org to make arrangements.

Meet CV Student: Sheila Bautista

Many first-generation students don’t have access to the essential college resources that are vital to their success and contribute to the acquisition of their college degree. With College Visions, low-income and first-gen students are able to go on college campus visits, learn how to write a resume, cover letter, and college essay, build a strong relationship with their advisor and more.

First-generation student, Sheila Bautista, attends the University of Rhode Island where she is currently studying political science and because of you and CV support she was able to secure an internship at Senator Jack Reed’s Office, giving her experience in her field!
[Read more…] about Meet CV Student: Sheila Bautista